New strings/ New transcription

[Jody Stecher]

The 5th peg on my Windsor Grand Solo banjo keeps slipping so I've been playing my Eric Stefanelli banjo more and more. As my classic banjo playing evolved I found Eric's recommended gauges too heavy for this banjo's 28 inch scale. The feel was good but the sound was a bit congested. The LaBella classic set ("17s") were too light in feel and too thin in sound to bring out the best this banjo has in it. I've been experimenting and I've nearly got it right now. At  present the 4 highest strings are rectified nylon  ( a mix of La Bella and Saverez Anciens, chosen according to what was in my string drawer) and the bass is a LaBella wound string like the one in the 17 set.  The gauges are as follows

1 and 5:   . 020

2:   .023

3:  .028

4: .025

I might like the 5th string to be .021.  The bass at C is perfect at .025 but sounds a bit fat and congested at D. Maybe I'll try .024.

Here is a recording  (with the new strings) and transcription of a tune that is called "Smith's Reel" in Texas and "Kitty's Wedding" in Ireland where it is thought to be a hornpipe although it doesn't go Rum Pum Pum at the end of either part.  

I've gotten not much response to the jigs, reels and hornpipes I've been posting. If these are not of interest I will stop posting them. One reason I've been posting these is because in my arrangements I have  applying the techniques I learned from classic banjo repertoire. For instance in Smith/Kitty I am using the fingering of both hands indicated in banjo solos by Joe Morley in "A Banjo Revel" and Parke Hunter in "Pensacola".

Attached are a recording,  staff notation, and tab.

[Trapdoor2]

Sounded fine to me, Jody. Your set is just slightly lighter than mine. I like a .024w on my Special but the Professional (12" head) likes .026w.

I haven't said much about your transcriptions as I play Irish on the Tenor banjos. Never been interested in playing the IT stuff on the 5-string. When one drops in as a quote or a section, they're always welcome though.

[Jody Stecher]

I think the CE banjos both have a shorter scale than 28". In that case I would go a bit heavier as well. 

In the past I avoided playing the Scottish and Irish repertoire on the 5-string for several reasons. I did not have the right hand technique to do it. Some of the keys were awkward. I heard others do it and it sounded bad to me.  And even after discovering 19th century printed tutors for 5-string banjo that included these sorts of tunes I found that the versions had been simplified to a degree that they did not appeal to me.  But then I discovered the Walter Kaye Bauer book. The versions were better. Here was an intriguing possibility. I made banjo arrangements of some of my favorite repertoire. Sometimes I had to transpose to other keys but as these were banjo *solos* it didn't matter.  The big discovery for me was to find how well these sat in 5 string banjo tuning.

Trapdoor2 said:

Sounded fine to me, Jody. Your set is just slightly lighter than mine. I like a .024w on my Special but the Professional (12" head) likes .026w.

I haven't said much about your transcriptions as I play Irish on the Tenor banjos. Never been interested in playing the IT stuff on the 5-string. When one drops in as a quote or a section, they're always welcome though.

[Joel Hooks]

The scale that CE seems to have settled on was 26.5".

[Joel Hooks]

Hi Jody, I think your jigs and reels are a worthy endeavor.   I would encourage you to continue until you have a nice number of them and then put them all together in a single book format (PDF). 

I'm a bit weird (and a traditionalist) regarding banjo notation, so I would not use the "dangling 8" clef.  If it were me, I would move the circled numbers to below the notes (usually under the staff).  I would also add position, barre and position barre marks constant with how I play the pieces.  Often position markings will eliminate the need for the circled numbers with the use of left hand fingerings. 

I would also remove the measure numbers. 

And finally, I would encourage you to continue with adding chord symbols over the notation for accompaniment options.  It is pretty easy to find a guitarist (or even uke player) that can follow chord symbols.  Having those would make the collection more useful, just my opinion.  

[Jody Stecher]

Thanks, Joel.

How does one put together the separate tunes into a PDF book? I haven't a clue how to do it. And once done,  then what?  I already have a relationship with Mel Bay. I suppose I could pitch the project to them. Or I could make it available free to whomever wants it. But I don't know how.  If Mel Bay or another publisher wanted the collection they would also want tab. I would appreciate your opinion about how to manage that, I don't use tab myself but many want to have it. But I would rather see a page with just staff notation and have a separate tab section. I don't know if any publisher would go along with that.  In my opinion the experience of relating to a page of staff, a page of tab, and a page containing both is significantly different. Each one affects my mind and body.  I know you will understand this but not everyone will.

My indications of fingering has been haphazard/random/inconsistent.  I don't mind making your suggested changes. Anything that makes for less clutter is a good thing.

I have put in chord symbols only when the chord changes are not obvious. Some  of these tunes "spell" the chords by the shape of their melody. There is only one option. So it seemed redundant. But if you think the addition of chords makes for a better book, again I don't mind.  I suppose if some have chords, all should. I like consistency within a single work.

Thanks again for your encouragement. 

[Joel Hooks]

I was sort of thinking DIY.

From what little I know (which is not much) Mel Bay, etc, are pretty much anti notation regarding banjo now (at least this is what I have been told).  The stance that has been relayed to me is that "nobody reads that anymore".

My opinion on notation over tab on a grand staff format is that it only serves to double the page count.  Tab readers are not likely to use the notation and us few notation readers are not going to use the tab.  I believe there is the psychological impact of tab readers pretending to read notation, so they might claim wanting it but not actually reading it. 

Besides, it is unlikely that Mel Bay even has someone on staff that is qualified to edit banjo notation. 

My approach would be to format the scores to fit two to a page.  Make them as professional appearing as possible (balanced filling complete lines, no dangling 8 or measure numbers, etc).  They could then be organized in whatever order you like and made into a book using some sort of publishing software (I would use Apple Pages as it was free with my computer, but there are plenty).  Then you could share it here.  

I suppose you could try and sell it, but I'm not sure you'd make back enough to pay for the electricity the computer used to make the book.  Banjo notation, sadly, is not in high demand. 

Or... you could just keep doing what you are doing.  That is fine by me.  I'll keep reading through them. 

[Jody Stecher]

I see your point about no-one at Mel Bay knowing how to edit banjo notation. But they would not have to. They would just have to replicate my transcriptions which will need no editing. But they may not have the means to do that.  They did publish the Chris Sands book of Tarrant Bailey solos but that was 22 years ago. 

So yeah, DIY is probably the sensible, less-aggravating course. 

 Attached are two PDF files, The Ship In Full Sail as I had posted it last month and  the same tune with your suggestions implemented.  Does the NIV (new improved version) look right to you?  Are the chord symbols too large?

[Joel Hooks]

I'll give it a read this evening after dinner.

[Trapdoor2]

Rob Mackillop has done it (with Mel Bay), you can too. Rob did Baur's "Banjoists Budget", leaving the notation in A and then regular Tab.

I can't imagine many have been sold...but, heck, even banjo thimbles seem to fly off the shelves.

[Joel Hooks]

Thimbles are being sold and used for clawhammer on steel strings.  That is a fairly large demographic at this point.

 

The weird thing about Rob's book (published 9 years ago) is that it only added the tab, the notation (above the tab) was printed in the original A system.  That already exists and is easy to find at no cost.  So, anyone buying his book would be for the tab.  Including the notation only doubles the page number. 

Trapdoor2 said:

Rob Mackillop has done it (with Mel Bay), you can too. Rob did Baur's "Banjoists Budget", leaving the notation in A and then regular Tab.

I can't imagine many have been sold...but, heck, even banjo thimbles seem to fly off the shelves.